February 10th, 2012 by Zac

“Our churches are in desperate condition.

Most of our congregations are made up of the elderly,

and churches are getting smaller and smaller.

There is no new generation behind to renew the church”.

This was a comment of a church member serving in the Reformed Church here in Slovakia. The Reformed Church is the third largest denomination in Slovakia, but only makes up 2% of all denominations here.

It’s a common mantra from traditional churches here. The church has not been able to reach this generation. And now it finds itself trapped by its own traditions and practices.

That is why ADVANCE is so important. It brings together leaders from all protestant denominations to ask the hard questions about the church’s future.

This month (February), Advance (which is organized by Josiah Venture) will host it’s third international conference in the Czech Republic to consider these difficult issues facing the church of Central Europe.

From Slovakia, we will take 10 church pastors, leaders and workers from several denominations. We are begging God to bring renewal and health to every church and for every denomination.

This year’s speaker will be Tim Chester, who pastors the Crowded House church in Sheffield, England. He has also authored the book Everyday Church.

Here are some pictures from last year’s conference.